Racetracks, highways, runways, roads, parking lots, and other like surfaces, generally referred to herein collectively and individually as road surfaces, are generally engaged by tires of vehicles which may be made of rubber, synthetic rubber, or similar compounds. Tires generally grip a road surface better when the road surface and tire are dry and the road surface is free of debris. The introduction of contaminants to a road surface, such as water, oil, gravel, tire particles, etc. may reduce the grip between a tire and the road surface. As such, clearing the road surface of debris and drying the road surface may improve the grip of a tire on the road surface.
While cars and aircraft may traverse wet road surfaces, stopping distances and handling may be reduced. In some applications, such as some forms of automobile racing where speeds and turning forces may be significantly higher than standard driving traffic, racing on a wet track may be hazardous enough that races may be suspended until the track is dry or clear of other debris. In such applications, actively drying the track may allow automobile racing, time trials, practices, qualifying, and the like to start or resume faster than allowing the track to passively dry naturally. Actively drying the racetrack quickly may also reduce fan disappointment and operating expenses resulting from a race that is prolonged or canceled due to track conditions, such as a wet track. Wet road surfaces can also cause issues when temperatures drop below freezing and the wet road surfaces become icy.